Institutional News

Rosenberg ‘86 to Deliver Commencement Address

Bennington is pleased to announce that screenwriter, producer, and alumna Melissa Rosenberg '86 will address this year's graduating class at the College's 75th commencement dinner on Friday, June 4, at 7:00 pm on Commons Lawn.

Image of Melissa Rosenberg

Best known for her screen adaptations of the bestselling novels TwilightNew Moon, and Eclipse, Rosenberg was also a writer and executive producer on the Showtime series Dexter, for which she won a Peabody Award and was nominated for two Emmy Awards and three Writers Guild Awards. An advocate for women in film, Rosenberg is a co-founder and executive board member of the League of Hollywood Women Writers and a former chair of the Writers Guild of America Diversity Committee.

Rosenberg studied drama and dance at Bennington College before obtaining an MFA in film and television producing from the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program. 

Her screenwriting credits include the dance film Step Up and the television shows Party of FiveBoston PublicThe Outer LimitsThe Agency, and The OC.  She served on the Writers Guild of America Board of Directors from 2002 through 2006.

Melissa Rosenberg is also this year's Olesen Lecturer. Named in memory of one of Bennington's most dedicated alumnae, the Candace DeVries Olesen '50 Lectureship for Distinguished Alumni was established to bring prominent Bennington alumni back to campus to engage with students and the community at large.